6 Dining Room Paint Colors Designers Always Avoid—Plus, What to Pick Instead

Your dining room is a place for gathering your favorite people—whether it’s over a holiday dinner or just a casual weekend brunch. So choosing the perfect paint color for your dining room is essential for creating just the right atmosphere for every get-together you host.

Before you pick up the paint brush, see what shades color experts suggest you avoid for your dining room—and which ones will make your guests feel right at home.

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Dining Room Paint Color

When it comes to paint colors, your dining room is one place where you can have a little more fun—since it’s a place in your home where you’re probably spending less time and don’t necessarily require a specific vibe. Consider these expert tips as you start searching for your dream dining room color.

Don’t be afraid to go bold

Even if you’re a big fan of that quiet luxury monochromatic look, your dining room is a place that should stray from that aesthetic. “I am a believer in colorful dining rooms,” says Amy Krane, principal designer for Amy Krane Color, and host of the design podcast Let’s Talk Paint Color. “This doesn’t mean too many colors per se, or saturated or primary colors. It means the room should be really interesting and add to the ambience we want to create for a dinner party. It’s a great space for dark colors, wallpaper, and in general, a polychrome color palette.”

Keep the colors cozy

While in other rooms, you may want to choose paint colors that work to make the space feel more expansive, in a dining room, select hues that feel more intimate. “I love painting dining rooms rich, saturated, beautiful colors,” says Michelle Marceny, principal color designer at The Color Concierge. “When designing a dining room color scheme, I prefer to err on the side of cozy versus stark, because it’s so much more inviting. To me, a dining room should be a place where you want to linger.”

Colors that Marceny recommends include rich, mid-toned blues and greens, along with purple and burgundy.

Consider adjacent room colors

Your dining room color shouldn’t be jarring when you’re making your way in from your living room or kitchen—especially if you have an open concept floor plan. “Flow, cohesion, and balance should always be in mind when choosing colors for all the public rooms in your house,” Krane says. “If you choose a dark color for your dining room, don’t have it be your only dark room, and if you choose a colorful color, don’t have it be the only one. Make sure there is a connection between the colors.”

For instance, you might want to pair a deep purple dining room paint color with a lighter blue living room with a hint of purple in the hue.

Think about the lighting

Think about how you use your dining room—is it a place where you eat most of your meals? If it’s an entertaining-only space, are you more in the habit of hosting brunches or dinners? “If your dining room is really just for dinners, then make sure you test the colors then with your practical lights—aka, light fixtures on,” Krane says.

Dining Room Paint Colors to Avoid

While there may be ways to incorporate pretty much any color you’d like into your dining room, color experts suggest these are the most difficult shades to use in your dining room.

“Fast food” colors

Take a look around your favorite fast food restaurants—and avoid using those colors in your space. “I would avoid reds, oranges, or yellows,” Merceny says. “Keep in mind that these are the colors that fast food restaurants paint their dining rooms so that people eat quickly and leave.”

Stark white

Crisp white walls may feel clean and modern, but they also have an antiseptic quality you probably don’t want in your dining room. “A light or white room can end up looking stark and unwelcoming,” Merceny says. The only exception? “If you have tons of art, you can consider painting your dining room white, or another light neutral color.”

Bland neutrals

Let’s face it: beige and gray don’t exactly say “wow” when they take up a lot of space in your room. “Beige and cool or neutral grays are too boring,” Krane says. “Dining rooms often have fewer furnishings than other rooms, so the table and chairs become the main focus. This makes the wall color even more important in driving the color scheme and holding the room together.”

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